From time to time here on the Performance Bicycle Blog we like to recognize our coworkers and let them share what they’re passionate about outside of work. This week we’re talking to Johnny Pratt, a Product Developer at our home office in North Carolina. Johnny joined Performance as the Merchant Assistant for components in August 2011, after working for companies as varied as Eastern Bikes and Credit Suisse. He grew up cycling and has always loved to be outdoors. He raced on the Appalachian State Cycling team while in school there and was a participant in the World Race, traveling to over 15 countries on five continents in a year’s time. Outside of work he spends most of his time racing bikes, doing adventure races, spending time with his family, and serving those in need.

Johnny racing in the Pisgah Mountain Bike Stage Race

It was that passion to serve others that led Johnny to co-found Bike Raising Inc., a non-profit organization that raises money for charity through cycling events. Bike Raising was born on a ride – Johnny and his friend Josh Stinger were riding in the hills of North Carolina when the concept was formed to create an organization that dedicated 100% of the money earned at an event to small non-profits that are hindered by lack of funding. But we’ll let Johnny tell you more about why he wanted to create and run a non-profit, in his spare time, in his own words.

Johnny in his Bike Raising kit

What is Bike Raising and why does it exist?

We wanted to make a difference to a few non-profits that had massive goals, but were constantly held back because they didn’t have the necessary capital to make it happen. With my business background and Josh’s project management background we knew we could create something to help out. We both loved bike racing and we knew our goal was fundraising so the name Bike Raising was born. It started simple and it remains simple. You participate in a fun, safe and challenging cycling event and a small partner non-profit gets some help. In what other race does everyone win?

The charitable organizations we partner with have a purpose and a mission. We call this their “critical pursuit.” When they are unable to fulfill their critical pursuit it slows down the change they are working towards. Many organizations say that the resource they’re lacking the most is funding. We don’t want them to shift their focus from their mission by dedicating the majority of their staff and resources to fundraising. Bike Raising strives to eliminate the need for these organizations to take their eyes off their goal – which is where we become a valued member of the team. We partner with the organization, learn their needs both financially and socially, put together a plan of action, set goals and set forth to accomplish them all. We allow the organization to keep pressing on with their mission while we handle the rest. This is why our motto is to Race. Give. Love.

What is Bike Raising involved with now and how can someone help out?

The Needle Gate Project is a journey from the Space Needle to the Golden Gate Bridge. It’s a pursuit of physical and mental limits. It’s a platform for freedom both to the individuals riding and those whom are yet to be free.

For this project we are proud to partner with She Dances, who is doing the great work of providing holistic restoration for young girls who have been trafficked and sexually exploited. She Dances needs funding to be more efficient and effective in their mission. Due to the nature of the human trafficking industry there is very little time between when they discover an at risk girl and when an actual rescue takes place. Funding in the hands of She Dances makes this process move faster, which results in that child’s restoration.

You can help us in bolstering the speed and accuracy of She Dances’ mission. Choose from one of our many exciting perks. Join the insider’s circle and get the video of us shouting your name on the Golden Gate Bridge. Maybe you’d rather go with the Primo Pack that gets you some sweet MiiR stainless steel products, coffee and an original She Dances Tee. Or maybe you want to join the Bike Raising team and get the complete kit. If you help out in any way, you’re joining us on our journey and you’re partnering in the fight against human trafficking. Our goal is to raise $5000 to help support the work and restoration that She Dances is providing.

We all have a dream cycling list in mind. Whether it’s the carbon fiber-everything bike we’ve been eyeing for months, some new clothes, or the ultimate upgrade kit, there’s something that every cyclist dreams of having. For a limited time, we can help you make that come true when you enter online for your chance to win a $1,000 shopping spree at Performance Bicycle.

When word about this contest got out around the office, it got us thinking about what we would do with $1,000 to spend at Performance. We asked some folks and got some pretty interesting answers.

So how about it? What would you spend $1,000 Performance Bucks on? Tell us in the comments section.

Ben from our bikes division is clearly already looking forward to the start of CX season:

What do you get when you bring together over 10,000 cyclists from 6 countries and 45 US states, about 35,000 sandwiches, hundreds of volunteers and “ride referees”, and over 202 miles of rolling countryside in the Pacific Northwest over 2 days in July? One of the biggest, best-supported and most fun bicycle events in the US – the Cascade Bicycle Club‘s Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic (or STP). Now in its 34th year, STP was begun as a race in 1979, but it has since become one of the largest supported recreational bike rides in the country – and the primary fundraising source for the advocacy efforts of the nonprofit Cascade Bicycle Club as they work to create a better community in the Puget Sound region through cycling.

Most STP riders tackle the North to South route over Saturday and Sunday, with an overnight rest stop in between the 2 cities, but about 10-15% of the riders blast through the entire 202 mile challenge in one day. Most of these dedicated one-day cyclists start their journey before 5AM, and don’t reach the finish line until the early evening in Portland – the fastest riders complete the course in about 10 hours, but most folks trickle in after 12 hours or more in the saddle! Of course the vast majority of STP participants find that splitting up the ride into 2 long days on the bike is enough of a challenge – especially since 18% of them are trying the event for the very first time. These 2-day riders finish up their first century ride on Saturday and then camp out in a series of well-organized campgrounds near the halfway point of the journey – then get up on Sunday and do it all over again.

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So what makes STP so popular? After all, the 10,000 available spots fill up months before the start of the ride. We would definitely say that it’s the people that make the difference – although the beautiful Northwest countryside comes in a close second! Yeah, it sounds corny, but everyone we met was unfailingly friendly and happy to stop and say hi or talk about why they were riding. Plus we have to give a special shout-out to the Cascade Bicycle organizers and their army of supportive volunteers, who do an amazing job keeping this whole 200 mile rolling operation running smoothly – including 14 rest stops along the route, an array of halfway point campgrounds, along with the logistics of moving thousands of tents and pieces of luggage to exactly where they’re needed, like clockwork.

Living the Dream cruiser bike crew

Every rider has a different reason for tackling this challenging adventure – but one of the most popular groups on the road was this collection of riders who completed the entire route on beach cruisers! What started out as 2 brothers raising money for the Living the Dream charity 9 years ago has grown into a crew of 19 single speed riders having a great time for a cause. They said that it wasn’t really the hills that were the most difficult to ride, but the flatter sections where they ran out of gearing and had to spin like mad to keep going!

Bicycle built for a family of 4

We met this family and their bicycle built for 4 at the STP sign-in on the Friday before the ride. It takes some real family togetherness and coordination to get this big rig on the road, but when they dropped by our tent at the halfway point of the ride they were all smiles and ready for more! The whole family was outfitted in Performance gear from head-to-toe, so we made sure that all 8 of their water bottle cages were stocked with a brand new Performance bottle.

Bill and his Scattante road bike

One day riders also came in all styles, from riders on full-on time trial bikes with carbon aero wheels, to folks who looked like they were on their everyday commuter. But most were like our friend Bill here, who rode his Scattante road bike the 202 miles in one day just for the personal challenge, checking in with us via social media along the way.

One of our Spin Doctor mechanics, ready to help in Centralia, WA

With 10 stores across the states of Washington and Oregon, Performance Bicycle has been involved with STP for a decade now, and our team of Spin Doctor mechanics was excited to once again help out this year. During the 2 days of the event, our teams ran 7 mechanic aid stations spread out over the 202 mile route. So what does it mean to provide mechanical support for 10,000 riders? It definitely makes for a busy 2 days! From the time they set up until the last riders trickled in, the team of 10 mechanics at our biggest aid station at the halfway point of Centralia College worked steadily from 9AM until 6PM on the first day of the ride. Our guys fixed flats, changed cables, trued wheels, lubed chains and pumped tires, with a smile, for whoever came by our tent – going out of their way to make sure that no mechanical problem was going to derail someone’s STP experience. At the end of the day in Centralia we determined that our team replaced or fixed: over 120 flats, over 20 tires, 12 chains and even 2 wheels (not counting the ones we could true enough to get back on the road)!

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One of the advantages of being stationed at the halfway point in Centralia was that we literally got to see every rider that came through, on whatever bike brought them there. The array of bikes that people rode was staggering – it seemed that if you stood and watched you would see every single brand, make and model of bike roll by, from fully-faired recumbents to a custom carbon Calfee Dragonfly tandem (that one was a beauty – the newlywed couple riding it planned to complete a century ride a month). But the wide array of tandem bikes really caught our eye, so we couldn’t resist sharing this last album of just a few of the bicycles built for 2 that we saw at STP.

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We can’t wait to go back to STP next year – we’re already making plans on how to have an even bigger and better presence at this amazing event!

Real Advice is a new series here on our blog. To answer some of the questions we get from customers, we’re turning to the employees here at our home office for some answers. Just like anyone else, they need to balance time on the bike with full time jobs and families. Over the years they’ve gotten pretty good at getting the most out of their rides. Let us know what you think in the comments.

This week we asked Robert, one of our copywriters and dedicated lover of the road ride, to give us some tips on how to get better at climbing.

I learned a hard lesson about climbing a few years ago after moving to North Carolina from a certain Midwestern city known for ferocious winds and two-dimensional topography. I thought I was in pretty good shape—until I decided to join the Thursday night group ride my first week of work at Performance Bicycle. I doubt I had actually ridden a bicycle up a hill before (unless bridges count), but I didn’t think it could be too hard. After 5 miles of rolling hills, I was utterly exhausted, and had long since been dropped. My ego was deflated, but thankfully there’s nothing like a reality check to get you motivated. Here are some of the tips and tricks I used to improve my climbing:

PRACTICE. This seems obvious, but there are no silver bullets here. The only way to get better is to go out and find hills to ride up. Don’t overdo it, but adding challenging vertical mileage to your rides will do wonders.

BUDDY RIDES. After my embarrassment on the group ride, I found a strong climber at the office and rode with him a few times a week. It was painful, but forcing myself to match his faster pace helped me make huge gains in a short amount of time.

YOUR FRONT DERAILLEUR. Use it. You’re not going to impress anybody by big-ringing it up the local hardman hill, and you may even hurt yourself. If you find yourself struggling and out of the saddle from the start of the climb, you need to get into the habit of shifting to the little ring sooner. Since it’s almost impossible to shift the front derailleur once you’re actually climbing, it’s better to shift five minutes too early than five seconds too late.

STANDING vs. SITTING. This one is divisive, but it honestly depends on the type of climb. If the climb is, say, 2 miles at a 6% grade, you’re better off staying in the saddle and pedaling at a higher cadence. If it’s a short, steep climb you can probably just stand up and stomp on the pedals to power up it. In general standing makes you work harder than sitting and pedaling at a higher cadence. If you do need to stand, make sure to shift to a harder gear to compensate for the extra force on the pedals.

RELAX. Climbing is hard, but we subconsciously make it harder than it needs to be. Next time you head uphill, pay attention to your upper body. I bet you’re clenching your abs, tensing your shoulders and white knuckling your handlebars. All this saps your energy and makes it harder to breath. Next time, try to keep things loose and relaxed, control your breathing, and let your legs do the work.

EQUIPMENT. Yes, nothing can really take the place of saddle time—but there are some equipment upgrades that can make climbing a little easier. If you’re really struggling on the hills, consider changing your cassette to a 12-28T, or switching to a compact crankset—both of which can make things a little easier. But the most important upgrade you can make for climbing is your wheelset. Wheels add both raw weight and rotational weight to your bike, making climbing more difficult. Finding a good pair of lightweight wheels is a very personal matter, and much can depend on budget and personal preference, but here are some of my favorites.

If you already have a pair of wheels you love but still want to go lighter, then take a look at your cranks, seatpost or saddle. There are many places on a bicycle where grams can hide. For more ideas on how to improve your performance or shave some weight from the bike, check out the “Upgrade Yourself” article in the Performance Bicycle Learning Center.

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Some people can’t imagine riding 180 miles on a bicycle from Charlotte, NC to North Myrtle Beach, SC in three days. Now imagine doing this ride using nothing but your arms to complete the task. That is what a group of cyclists did April 25 – 27, 2013 to raise money for the Adaptive Sports & Adventures Program (ASAP) at Carolinas Rehabilitation Hospital. Cycle to the Sea (CTTS) is a unique ride that raises critical funds and awareness for ASAP to offer a variety of low-cost programs for youth and adults with physical challenges. This bike ride is held every spring and involves athletes with physical disabilities who cycle on hand cycles and/or tandem bikes. Mark, a distributor from our components division here at our home office, participated in this ride with his hand cycle (he is also an accomplished wheelchair rugby player) and he took the time to share what this experience meant to him:

Day 1 started with a dozen hand cycles, 40-45 able bodied cyclists, and countless family members gathered to see their loved ones off on their journey. The weather was chilly but it didn’t seem to dampen anyone’s spirit and anxiousness to get the ride started. The group rolled out as one big unit but quickly separated into two smaller groups once we got out onto the open road. There was over 3000 feet of climbing the first day but it didn’t seem to curb anyone’s spirit. Everyone got over the climbs the best they could, whether by pedaling or getting pushed by a fellow cyclist, and everyone finished together.

Assisting a hand cyclist up a climb.

The surprise of the day for me was our “safety patrol”. The local Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club volunteers every year to shepherd the herd to Myrtle Beach. The guys were amazing. They created a rotating formation around each group of cyclists stopping traffic from ALL side roads and on ramps allowing the cyclist to pass unimpeded. We did not stop at 1 stoplight the entire 3 day ride. Gentlemen, my hat is off to you and what you do. This ride would truly not be what it is without you. THANK YOU!

Rolling Thunder escort

Day 2 brought more of the same just with flatter terrain. The weather was a little grey in the morning and quickly burned off shortly after the ride headed out. The longer the ride went on the more the cyclist, both hand cyclist and able bodies cyclist, gelled together. The two groups were operating as fine oiled machines and were very impressive to see. The speeds got faster and those that had been pushed the first day didn’t seem to need as much help as they once had. Folks seemed to have a growing confidence in themselves and their ability to get this ride done. It was truly inspirational.

Day 3 brought on the last 63 mile stretch and you couldn’t tell from anyone’s face they had ridden over 120 miles in the past 2 days. Folks were eager, feeling good, and ready to get the show rolling. Early in the ride, you could feel there was a sense of purpose. I rode in the front group and speeds stayed between 17-25 miles per hour the whole way. For those that do not know, such speeds are reasonably swift on a traditional bicycle but that is “cooking” on a hand cycle.

Rolling down the road with the whole pack.

Upon arrival to Myrtle Beach, you could see emotion on everyone’s face. Not only on the participants faces with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment but also on the family members faces that their loved ones could pull off such an undertaking. I’m honored to have been a part of such a great event and Cycle to the Sea will now be on my yearly calendar of “must do’s”.

Group shot of the Cycle to the Sea riders & staff

I was fortunate enough to be both a participant in the ride and a representative of Performance Bicycle, which was one of Cycle to the Sea’s corporate sponsors. As a long time cyclist both before the wheelchair and after, I understand the amount of time it takes to both organize a ride of this magnitude and the dedication it takes to complete it. I salute all involved for a job well done. The ASAP staff that Jennifer Moore has put together is second to none and I’m proud to be an associated with this organization. I strongly encourage anyone that is looking for a good ride, an incredible experience, and a worthwhile cause to be a part of to consider the 2014 Cycle to the Sea bike ride.

Our author, Mark, with his hand cycle.

Everybody has different reasons why they ride. Some ride to prove something to themselves, some ride to prove something to others, and some ride to honor someone that has touched their life. For me, the 2013 Cycle to the Sea is dedicated to my friend Jimmy Melton. I met Jimmy this past Thursday as the CTTS ride was leaving town. We were both first time riders and Jimmy was there to support one of my fellow hand cyclists Jacob Conley. We talked and came to know each other pretty well over the next three days. The end of the ride came, Jimmy met my wife and baby daughter, and we made plans to see each other next year at the 2014 Cycle to the Sea. Then I got the bad news that Jimmy had died the next night in his sleep. I was numb. Jimmy definitely touched my life and made me a better person for knowing him. Godspeed my friend. I will see you on the other side.

Jacob and Jimmy.

Ultimately this bike ride is not about a charity event. It is about those with physical challenges that display uncompromising human spirit, determination to accomplish what they aren’t supposed to be able to do, and those that just want to ride their bike.

In honor of our 30th anniversary in 2012, we partnered with the Alliance for Biking & Walking to identify 10 worthy organizations to receive $30,000 in Better Bicycling Community Grants, which were distributed directly to local communities to make the most impact on the ground. In this post we’re going to catch up with 4 groups that are making a difference though Open Streets initiatives, powered by the Alliance for Biking & Walking’s Open Streets Project. By temporarily closing streets to automobile traffic, these events foster connections in their communities by allowing people to walk, bike, or just socialize in the heart of their town – creating a public space where before there was just traffic.

First up is the Carrboro Bicycle Coalition, part of our Chapel Hill, NC store community, and only a few miles from our home office & warehouse. The Open Streets event they hosted was designed to meet the city’s public health, social, economic, and environmental goals by allowing residents the opportunity to use the street, a public good, in safe, active, and socially engaging ways.

Kids ride at Carrboro Open Streets

This first-ever Open Streets event in Carrboro took place on Saturday, April 13, and it was definitely a resounding success. A diverse cross-section of the community came out on bikes and on foot for a variety of healthy activities, from kids rides, to yoga, to rock-climbing and more!

Cyclists young and old at Carrboro Open Streets

Our Chapel Hill, NC store sent a team to support the event, both to wrench on bikes that needed a quick tune-up or a flat fixed, and also to chat with anyone who stopped by to say hello – a big part of Open Streets events is just getting to know your local community members better.

Performance Bicycle tent at Carrboro Open Streets

Seth LaJeunesse of the Carrboro Bike Coalition had this to say: “Through promotional activities, community rides, safety clinics, and bike light installation sessions, the Carrboro Bicycle Coalition has advanced the feasibility, quality, and safety of bicycling in the Carrboro- Chapel Hill region. Performance Bicycle’s Better Bicycling Community grant extends these efforts by placing bicycling at the center of a broader Open Streets initiative that promises to enhance the health, nutrition and well-being of diverse stakeholders.”

There were many options to participate in Carrboro Open Streets

We were excited to be able to help out with an event so close to our home office, and we can’t wait for more events like it in the future.

Gene, from our home office, at Carrboro Open Streets

Another $3000 Better Bicycling Community grant was awarded to Charlottesville Community Bikes to help celebrate Charlottesville’s bikeable and walkable Jefferson Park Avenue corridor and encourage and support a neighborhood desire to bike and walk to these businesses. Charlottesville’s first Open Streets Event was on held Aug. 18, 2012 along a 1 mile stretch of road, closed to vehicle traffic, and open to all other forms of active recreation and transportation. In collaboration with this event, the local neighborhood associations also held a JPA Bridge Reopening Ceremony and Farmer’s Market that day. Over 40 organizations supported the event through sponsorship and offering activities or items of interest to the community. Participating organizations and nearby businesses reported positive experiences including strong community engagement and even increased business sales from the 2,000 attendees at the event!

Charlottesville Open Streets

Susan Elliott from Charlottesville Community Bikes said that the Performance grant “made it possible for us to demonstrate that active recreation and transportation can build community, be fun, and offer a valuable amenity to area. Being the first event of this type, many people were unsure of how it would be received. Everyone who experienced the event – families, government officials, represented organizations – came away with positive experiences and enthusiasm for more in the future. This grant gave us the ability to focus our attention on inviting the community to participate and ensuring a high quality experience.”

Children’s group ride at Kidical Mass Tucson

Our Broadway Tucson, Arizona store has been involved with a slightly different take on the urban riding experience through a partnership with the Living Streets Alliance, who received a Better Bicycling Community grant to help promote family friendly bicycling in the greater Tucson region through four Kidical Mass events in 2013. Kidical Mass is a group ride that provides a safe, fun, and social setting for families to explore urban bicycling riding, for parents to grow more comfortable riding with small children, and for small children to gain confidence and skills in a loosely supervised group ride.

Littlest cyclists at Kidical Mass Tucson

Since last fall, Living Streets Alliance has partnered with El Grupo Youth Cycling, a local cycling club with a mission of empowering youth through cycling, to host a series of Kidical Mass family-friendly bike rides, with 4 events total to date. LSA and El Grupo are planning two more Kidical Mass events – through partnering together these groups doubled the number of events they could host, and our store teams have been excited to be a part of this experience.

Kids of all ages at Kidical Mass Tucson

Emily Yetman of the Living Streets Alliance had this to say: “The Performance Better Bicycling Grant has helped Living Streets Alliance make Kidical Mass, an incredibly popular, family-friendly, bike riding event, into a household name in a small, but growing number of homes in Tucson. Kids and neighbors now ask when the next ride will be held and word is spreading beyond the areas where we first held these rides. This kind of growth wouldn’t have been possible without the support of the Performance grant.”

Yoga on the street during Bike Utah’s Open Streets

The last Open Streets initiative from our Better Bicycling Community Grants is schedule to take place in Salt Lake City, Utah. Bike Utah worked with local partners to develop and implement the 2013 Open Streets event in Salt Lake City and use the success of this template to help other Utah communities organize similar events. The primary role of the Open Streets campaign is to build cycling awareness and to get more people out biking, walking, and partaking in community activities.

Open Street cyclists in Salt Lake City

The first event, Open Streets – Salt Lake City, took place on Saturday, May 4, and a big crowd took advantage of the opportunity to have fun on downtown city streets with no car traffic to deal with. Scott Lyttle, from Bike Utah, had this to say about our grant: “The grant from Performance Bicycle has allowed Bike Utah to partner with Salt Lake City to move forward Utah’s first Open Streets event. SLC has wanted to hold an Open Streets event for years and Performance Bicycle’s support has helped to make it happen.”

Since we’re now open for business in Florida, with 4 new stores and 1 coming soon, we couldn’t wait to get on the ground and out in our new local communities. So what better way to celebrate than with one of our favorite activities, helping out with the dedicated riders of Bike MS.

Steve and Dave are set up and ready to tune-up some bikes.

Three Performance team members headed down to Miami to help out with the South Florida Bike MS in April. We were there to work, doing everything from handing out nutrition to performing quick bike tune-ups – before, during and after the 50, 80 or 100 mile rides.

Dave and Christopher tune up bikes.

As you would expect in Florida, the weather was sunny and beautiful on ride weekend! More than 1400 riders turned out for the 2-day event and everyone had a very good time. We worked on everything from dry and noisy chains to punctured tires and tubes (and even one punctured rim).

Three handups ready to happen.

On the second day we had the first aid station. While there’s not usually too much mechanic work that needs to happen only 7 miles into the ride, we did have a few boxes of GU Energy Gels to hand out so we stood next to the course on a straight open section of road and handed out over 100 peanut butter GU gels on the fly. No need to stop for this aid station, we’ll hook you up as you ride by!

Steve distributes powerbars on the move (click for the animated version).

Here Steve shows us the fastest way to empty a box of PowerBar Performance bars – open them up near hungry Bike MS riders first thing in the morning! All in all, the ride was a big success with no serious injuries and loads of smiles. We had a great time helping out and ended up manning 5 aid stations over the course of the two day event. We can’t wait to help out again next year!

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It’s been a little while since we’ve checked in with our local store associates, but cooler weather didn’t stop teams from our over 100 stores all across the country from staying busy in their local cycling communities. We put on clinics, supported rides helped out with local advocacy groups and more. For more info about your local Performance Bicycle, check your local store page for regularly scheduled Spin Doctor clinics & group rides. Read on below for some of what our stores were involved with in the last few months.

In November associates from our Arizona stores helped out at the 2012 El Tour De Tucson. We covered their day in detail in an earlier post, but our teams were busy at 3 aid stations out on the course, supporting the almost 9,000 cyclists on the 111 mile route. Our expert mechanical help meant that no one had to quit the ride because of their bike!

Our Bloomfield Hills, Michigan store came out to support a slightly chillier race, at the Iceman Cometh Challenge Bicycle Race. This annual 29 mile point-to-point mountain bike race is so popular that registration fills up in minutes! Our team had a great time at the packed pre-race expo, and we even saw some familiar faces among the 3700 racers on a slushy race day.

Also in November, our Sorrento Valley, California store participated in the 3rd annual Bike the Coast event, which offered 7,15,25,50 or 100 mile courses from the Oceanside Pier. We provided the turn-around rest stop and sag support for the 50 and 100 mile course, which was conveniently located right in front of our store. We had a great turn out for the event, as the organizers said they had approximately 1700 participants. Our two big tents were busy all day with volunteers handing out food, and our mechanics helping with flats and other mechanicals to keep folks on the road.

This next event may have been small in size, but we our Virginia Beach, Virginia store was still proud to receive this certificate of appreciation from the local Rotary Club. Store associates Erin Simms and Bob Orr were instrumental in the planning and execution of this safety rodeo that we participated in for several hours – they were excited to be able to give back to their community in this small way, but who doesn’t like to get a little recognition for their efforts!

Also at our Virginia Beach, Virginia store, six riders participated in an Indoor Century in February. Following the Ultra Marathon Cycling Association’s rules for an indoor century, riders hooked up their trainers and set out for six hours. Riders were given advice on nutrition strategy and were given great advice regarding their riding style to help them optimize performance. Our store manager, Terry, was nice enough to whip up some PB&J’s for the day and provided fresh fruit. In the end, two riders lasted the full six hours. It was a fantastic time for staff and customers alike!

This next shot is from an ongoing indoor cycling class in our Greenwood, Indiana store. A regular crew of about 15 people showed up on a weekly basis over the winter, staying fit and pedaling away the winter blues with our store team. There isn’t a much better way to stay motivated than to pedal away with some new friends!

Of course our stores also continued with their regular Spin Doctor how-to clinics, covering topics from roadside/trailside repair, to tuning derailleurs, to basic bike maintenance tips that every cyclist should learn. Above is a shot from a group in our Virginia Beach, Virginia store getting tips from our resident Spin Doctor.Here’s an interested group of cyclists in our Southlake, Texas store, learning more about derailleurs.

Our Dayton, Ohio store also fielded large crowds for their Spin Doctor clinics, like this one above.

And finally, we can’t neglect to mention the Grand Opening of our very first stores in Florida! Here Bonnie, the store manager of our Tampa store, got to do the honors at the celebratorial ribbon-cutting ceremony at our very first store in the Sunshine State.

And here’s the excited crowd of cyclists stretched around the corner our new Fort Lauderdale store, eager to get inside and celebrate our grand opening with us.

So after a busy winter, we can’t wait to see what the warmer weather brings our way. Our store teams are excited to get back on the road and out in their communities even more to share their passion for cycling!

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Here at Performance Bicycle,we are proud to announce the opening of five stores in Florida, the first time that we have opened a store in the Sunshine State. To celebrate the much-anticipated stores, each new location will host a Grand Opening event featuring many exciting offers for cyclists of all levels.

David Pruitt, Performance Bicycle’s chief executive officer, summed up why Florida was such a great fit for Performance Bicycle: “Florida has a vibrant and growing cycling community, and we’re looking forward to becoming a part of that on the local level. While Florida’s always been a strong state for our e-commerce business, we’re very excited to serve Florida cyclists even better with our five initial locations.”

The new stores all feature our easy to shop layout with over 3,000 cycling items including a great selection of bikes, cycling clothing, sports nutrition, components and accessories. The stores will also feature Performance Bicycle’s signature Spin Doctor Service and Repair department. Spin Doctor Certified Mechanics participate in a continuous training program that assures customers receive expert service for their bike. This training, combined with years of experience working with the top brands in cycling, enable Performance Spin Doctors to expertly service all brands of bikes, no matter where they were originally purchased.

Our new Performance stores will offer a broad selection of cycling products and services to meet the needs of all cyclists. In addition, with the high number of tri-athletes living and training in the area, all Florida stores will feature clothing, bicycles and accessories for triathletes.

During the first half of 2013, Performance Bicycle plans to open the following five stores in Florida:

If you are in Fort Lauderdale or Tampa during the weekends of 3/15-3/17 or 3/22-3/24, definitely stop by to say hello and check out the Grand Opening celebrations.

If you live in the area of our new Florida stores, or any of our over 100 other locations, remember that local cycling clubs are invited to contact their neighborhood Performance Bicycle stores to organize membership drives, group rides or to use the store as a location for club meetings. We hope to see you soon!